Reflecting back and looking ahead in San Diego
San Diego was one of my main fascinations this season, and though they haven't yet announced any news about their transactions as of this post, I'm so interested to see what the offseason has in store for them. Below, you can get a sense for some of their biggest contributors (highlighted in light orange) from the stretch-run at the end of the campaign. Elijah Martin, in his shifting right-sided role, was crucial, but the most important player for this team all year long was Alejandro Guido; his creativity and ball progression stirred the pot for the Loyal in 2021.
In terms of a system, coach Landon Donovan vacillated between a 4-2-3-1 system and a more complex 4-4-2 defensive look that shifted into a 3-5-2 in possession. Under this latter look, the defensive right winger would tuck inside, letting the right fullback move up as his left-sided counterpart swung in as a third central defender. This gave San Diego more bodies to keep the ball in attack while allowing for a more stout defensive look. Both concepts are graphically illustrated below, and I'll get into some of the pros and cons that each setup provided a little bit later.
In terms of their play style, the Loyal were a team that put a premium on possession and usually preferred ground-based, centrally-focused buildup play. Patience was this side's virtue. Players like Alejandro Guido often came deep from the midfield to facilitate, complementing solid passers at back like Josh Yaro. You occasionally saw this side press up, usually through a highly placed attacking midfielder up the middle, but I would never classify them next to the likes of a San Antonio, for instance. The defensive numbers paint the picture of a side that allowed a surprising number of shots on target, and this was driven by their commitment to pushing bodies up-field to facilitate possession. Great goalkeeping from the Trey Muse/Austin Guerrero platoon kept them afloat.
San Diego's late-September matchup in Oakland illustrates the Donovan-era tactical tenets of this team splendidly. Working out of the 4-2-3-1, the Loyal dropped that match by a 2-1 margin, but I think you got a really good look at the basic ideas of this team in possession, their core shape in defense, and some of the issues that their tactics created.
Here, that ground-based buildup style is evident. Working through the central defenders into relatively deep fullbacks or central midfielders, the Loyal constantly try to drive towards zone fourteen in the middle of the pitch. You'd often see a winger or forward show deep to facilitate line-breaking buildup, as Corey Hertzog does in that first clip. The second video sees Tumi Moshobane move up from the #10 spot, drawing Oakland out, forcing an overreaction to the forward charge, and ultimately letting Guido create a shot.
Going the other way, San Diego focused more on maintaining a strong defensive shape than pressing up high. You can see that 4-2-3-1 defensive structure in the first clip here. Hertzog gives chase and applies pressure at the tip of the formation, but this isn't an aggressive press by any stretch of the imagination. The system here is solid enough, but it breaks apart in the transition scenario scene in the second clip. San Diego has pushed players up the pitch, and a nice bit of closing from the Roots leaves the visitors utterly unprotected at the back. The central defenders are isolated, midfield assistance is nowhere to be found, and the fullbacks are playing up a line so as to make themselves passing options; a dangerous Oakland look is the natural end result.
The 4-2-3-1 system visible in those clips and common to this side for much of the season was strong enough, but Donovan smartly realized that he could really lean into his tactical tenets with a bit of a tweak.
Enter the shifting 4-4-2. In the defensive phase, one forward could drop deep to revert into a 4-2-3-1 look, but more often than not the player in question would press up to close down on opposing build. This added aggression was most visible in the right-wing flexibility I mentioned earlier. Moving that right back up a line added a distinct overlapping threat while creating numerical advantages in the center.
In the ensuing clip, you can see how that tactic played out against San Antonio in the playoffs. Martin gets up the wing well, but the onus of tracking back is heavy, and the Texans are able to take advantage by slicing down the channel that's left vacant. The formational graphic here shows how SAFC closed hard to press the issue in this regard, and the same trends are seen in the clip below.
San Diego would go on to lose this match, but they had their moments as well. You saw just how strong that central midfield dynamic could be at moments. In the clip here, San Antonio is outnumbered and over-pursues the ball carrier; Charlie Adams drifts into the left half-space as a reaction, where he can create a chance. This same pattern played out three or four more times as a direct result of the Loyal's highly possessive style.
Where does that leave San Diego heading into 2021? They were a solid playoff team all year long, and they have a clear tactical identity that contributed to this success. I'd argue that they've even found a system to really hang their hat on in the form of that shifting 4-4-2. If I'm looking to strengthen this team, I'd focus in two locations. First and foremost, they need a do-it-all holding central midfielder to pair alongside Alejandro Guido and really lend a sense of defensive solidity against the counter. This player has to be mobile and cerebral while also meeting replacement level as a distributor. Given the first wave of player announcement that we've seen so far, I would sell my soul for Kevon Lambert to fill that spot; someone like Zach Herivaux could also do the job.
The striker spot is my other question mark. San Diego came 25th in conversion rate last year as a squad, and their forwards were 29th in goals above replacement. Moshobane and Hertzog are both solid, but they fit that second striker mold more than a back-shoulder poacher like Miguel Berry or Augustine Williams (at least in his 2020 iteration). Maybe you bank on a Jerome Kiesewetter comeback or pursue a hold-up player like Jeremy Bokila from your in-state rival. If you want a big swing, throw the bag at Kyle Murphy to peel him away from Memphis. No matter what, though, this team is solid. They'll be back in the playoffs, but I just don't if they can make the next step without some big additions.
Quick hitters
How about Alann Torres in the USL Academy tourney? He cameoed as a right winger for the Indy Eleven during this last regular season, and you can't help but compare him with another Mark Lowry wunderkind. I would love to see him get some run in the first team in 2022.
Moving south, there's no way in my mind that Dane Kelly sticks it out in Charlotte after the move to League One and the, uh, general havoc associated with that team. He's going to be a prize for whoever is the highest bidder. I know he's past that thirty-year-old mark at this point and doesn't give you much of anything beyond cool, collected goalscoring, but what side wouldn't be helped by a guaranteed double-digit goal scorer? I know I mentioned San Diego's striker conundrum earlier...
One last note out of the West here: I adore the addition of Jeff Caldwell in goal for Colorado Springs. The Switchbacks were fine at the position in 2021, ranking 18th in overall goals above replacement with Sean Melvin pitching in for a statistically average campaign across the board; Caldwell, a Goalkeeper of the Year finalist, gives you so much more. The numbers think he's good, but people who know the position rate him much higher. He could be a coup of a signing for Burke and company.
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